Residents plagued by putrid Dominguez Channel odor win millions in lawsuit
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Two dozen people who sued the owners and tenants of a Carson-based warehouse responsible for a putrid smell emanating from the Dominguez Channel waterway, which led to hospital visits and headaches, won a multimillion-dollar verdict Friday.Those plaintiffs were awarded $6 million in punitive damages along with $2.89 million in compensatory damages in a mass tort lawsuit that dates back to 2021.“Carson is a working-class community of janitors, barbers, bus drivers and longshoremen,” said attorney Gary Praglin of the Santa Monica-based law firm Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy.“The defendants forced us to trial because they didn’t want to pay these people and this is recognition of their suffering.”The punitive damages will be split equally among 24 Carson-area residents, amounting to $250,000 for each.
The compensatory damages for medical claims ranged between $40,000 and $240,000 per client.What remains to be seen is what happens to 13,750 additional plaintiffs who are also seeking compensation.California In Carson, a smell like rotten eggs from the Dominguez Channel has been sickening residents for nearly two weeks.
Anger is growing.The court will determine the next steps, whether that’s additional trial proceedings or settlements.But should the remaining plaintiffs ultimately receive similar compensation, “we’re talking about the largest recovery for breathing toxic fumes in the history of California,” Praglin said.
On the hook for damages are San Francisco-based logistics company Prologis and its subsidiary Liberty Property LP, which owned the warehouse next to the Dominguez Channel in Carson.Prologis did not respond to an email seeking comment Friday.
Also included among the defendants are the Nourollah brothers of Los Angeles, who owned two businesses — Virgin Scent and Day to Day Imports — that operated out of that warehouse.A call to an attorney fo...